Lucknow, October 17, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Saturday backed Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy’s criticism of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that Opposition leaders should also resign from Parliament if they continue to question the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI), under whose supervision they were elected.
Rajbhar’s remarks came amid an ongoing political confrontation between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress-led INDIA bloc over allegations of “vote theft” and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
On Friday, Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy accused the Congress of creating an “anti-national ecosystem” and promoting narratives that could undermine democratic institutions. He alleged that Rahul Gandhi and his party were advocating “street-veto anarchy and unconstitutional regime change” following repeated electoral defeats.
Speaking to IANS, Rajbhar endorsed Reddy’s criticism and accused Rahul Gandhi of making irresponsible statements. He also drew parallels between Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, alleging that both leaders frequently change their positions and fail to stand by their statements.
“He (Reddy) is right. Just as Akhilesh Yadav keeps acting on what others say and doesn’t stand by his own statements, Rahul Gandhi does the same. He acts irresponsibly, and all his actions are against the country,” Rajbhar said.
Questioning the Opposition leaders’ continued membership of Parliament, Rajbhar argued that Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav had contested and won elections under the same electoral system they were now criticising.
“Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav have always questioned constitutional institutions. They became MPs under the same Election Commission they are now criticising. If they claim irregularities and vote theft are taking place, they should also resign, as they too won elections under the same system. However, they are backtracking on their resignations,” the minister said.
The remarks come as INDIA bloc leaders continue to challenge the ECI over alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision exercise. Opposition leaders have questioned the functioning of the poll body and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), meanwhile, has accused the Opposition of making allegations without sufficient evidence and politicising the issue.
Rajbhar also criticised Akhilesh Yadav over his political activities and social media posts, alleging that the SP chief focused more on criticising the government than addressing public issues.
“Akhilesh Yadav wakes up at 12 o’clock and has to post on X. After that, he has to do PC. He has no other work,” Rajbhar said, referring to the SP leader’s social media activity and press conferences.
The Uttar Pradesh minister further accused the Samajwadi Party, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of failing to safeguard the interests of the extremely backward classes.
“Everyone (SP, Congress, and BSP) has betrayed the extremely backward classes. In the Rajya Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party did not have any leader from another caste. They gave one seat to a family and the other to a ‘Dhanna Seth’. They made it the ‘Parivar Development Authority’,” Rajbhar alleged.
FOLLOW NOW
